A tank valve whose height above its point of attachment is adjustable.
With the advent of low flow volume toilet tank installations, the available height for necessary tank valves has expanded greatly, from very short to very long heights. A single-height valve will no longer serve a wide range of installations. While it is an alternative, it is an expensive nuisance to provide valves for each desired height, or to provide parts made specifically for a given height.
Accordingly, efforts have been made to provide height adjustment means so that the height of valves can be adjusted to a number of different elevations. The problems to date have largely resided in the complexity of their height adjustment means. Devices such as collets and other threaded devices are known for the purpose. While these do provide the function, they do it with additional parts, and with parts that sometimes might loosen and let the valve slip and perhaps malfunction.
In addition, parts cost money. In a field such as toilet valves where pennies on the price can make the difference between getting an order or losing it, any device which functions as well or better at a lower cost can represent an important competitive advantage.
It is an object of this invention to provide a height adjustable valve which, except for the use of a two piece telescopic riser, does not require any part not otherwise required in a normal non-adjustable ballcock valve.
It is another object of this invention to provide structure for this purpose in which O-rings can be installed simply and without damage.
A tank valve according to this invention includes a telescopic riser having an axis, an outer tube and an inner tube, which are axially slidable relative to one another. Both tubes have a central passage, and an upper end and a lower end. The inner tube has an outer wall which confronts the inner wall of the outer tube.
The outer wall of the inner tube has a continuous groove comprising lateral bar segments that are in planes normal to the central axis, and pass segments which are parallel to the axis. A tongue extends into the passage of the outer tube and engages in the groove. The bar segments and pass segments alternate so the relative axial position of the tubes (and thereby the height of the valve) can be adjusted by moving the tongue axially in the pass segments. The adjusted position will be set when the tongue is in a pass segment. The tubes are rotated relative to one another to enable the tongue to move from one pass segment to the next, and to trap the tongue in a bar segment.
The outer tube includes a guide which receives a stiffly flexible tank fill tube. The tank fill tube is fixed to a tube mount on the inner tube, which is bridged to the passage in the inner tube. The tube mount and guide are axially aligned when the tongue is at the mid-point of a pass segment, so the stiffness of the fill tube assists in resisting relative rotation of the inner and outer tubes.
According to preferred but optional features of this invention, a lead-in groove section is provided adjacent to the lower end of the inner tube which will permit the tongue to be inserted in the groove while leaving a ring groove exposed below the lower end of the outer tube but without a ring in it, then to receive an O-ring, and thereafter to draw the O-ring into the outer tube. After the application of the O-rings, a latch prevents future separation of the tubes.
In another embodiment, the tongue may be a separate part, and the lead-in section can be eliminated.